Pages

Monday, August 6, 2012

Highlights

Sandy siliciclastic clinoforms represent the net product of
sediment exported from the shoreface and transported to a depositional site where
wave action decreases.As a
follow-up to their companion paper (Mitchell et al.), Mitchell tests the
concept that clinoforms in wave-agitated settings are shaped by gravity-induced
sediment transport downslope, with flux that is proportional to depositional topographic
gradient.An analytical expression
illustrates how, in such situations, smooth (diffusive) topography develops,
and that curvature of rollovers is proportional to wave properties and sediment
flux.These results reveal the linkages
among rollover geometry, sediment flux, and waves, and reveal insights that
could be useful for forward modeling of stratigraphy, estimating sediment
budgets, and wave-property reconstruction, such as might be utilized to
understand ancient wave climates.